PUBLISHED ONMay 30, 2026 6:21 AMBYSean LerSingapore's defence minister Chan Chun Sing met with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamed Khaled Nordin on Saturday (May 30) at the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The call at Shangri-La Hotel, where Asia's premier security summit is being held, saw both defence ministers reaffirming the warm and longstanding bilateral ties between the two countries.
They also discussed ways to further enhance mutual trust and understanding between the two defence establishments, Singapore's Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said on Saturday.
According to Mindef, the two defence establishments hold regular interactions across a wide range of activities, including bilateral and multilateral exercises, visits, professional exchanges, and cross-attendance of courses.
The ministry added that these regular interactions underscore the warm and longstanding defence relations between the two countries, and help strengthen mutual understanding and trust.
During their meeting, the two ministers also emphasised the value of cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia through regional multilateral platforms such as the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), ADMM-Plus, and the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
Khaled Nordin also paid a courtesy call on Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on Saturday afternoon.
He is scheduled to address the sixth plenary session on the topic "Managing regional tensions amid global competition" at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Sunday.
Apart from the Malaysian defence minister, the summit has also provided Singapore's defence minister with the platform to meet with several of his counterparts.
On Saturday morning, Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, met with Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, The two defence ministers also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on defence supply chain resilience to deal with "unforeseen disruptions".
Singapore's navy is equipped with Sitep Italia's multirole acoustic stabilised system — used on its Sentinel-class maritime security and response vessels, and the Italy-made 76mm naval gun.
Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing also co-hosted a breakfast with Philippines' Secretary of National Defence Gilbert Teodoro Junior for their Asean counterparts on Saturday morning.
According to Mindef, the defence ministers discussed how Asean could contribute to regional peace and prosperity. They also reaffirmed the importance of Asean centrality.
On Friday, Chan met with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani and French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin.
He also held a bilateral meeting with US defence chief Pete Hegseth.
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